Welcome to Our World

This month, Rachel Singer Gordon and I start a Computers in Libraries magazine monthly department that will offer tips and strategies for technology projects in any kind of library for little or no cost! We begin with some background about our library experience. We’ll be switching off between aithors month to month. Next month, I write about the benefits and mechanics of internal blogging for improved communication in libraries.

All of this talk about new Web site techniques–“Web 2.0,” blogs, instant messaging, wikis, digital rights management, iPods, RSS, audio content, and any other “hot” technologies you may be reading about–can be overwhelming. Sometimes we act so cautiously with the unknown–in this case, all things tech–that nothing gets done. Some librarians even admit to being “frozen” as the pace of change in technology and user expectations increases. There are resources available to help you make the right decisions (see sidebar) and to supplement the thoughts, advice, tips, and more that we’ll be presenting here. Never stop learning and improving. Never be afraid to try something new as you seek innovative ways to meet the needs of your users.